I am a licensed Georgia Broker striving to be a real estate agent of change for client and community. This blog is for all shades of green spectrum folk concerned with energy and environmental issues where they matter most: in our homes and communities.

As one of Georgia's first certified EcoBrokers®, my passion is helping buyers and sellers of greener, healthier, more sustainable properties in the metro Atlanta area. As a member of a national network of EcoBrokers® I can, in many cases, refer you to a green real estate agent regardless of where you live or wish to relocate.

I stay current on eco-trends and technologies pertinent to the homeowner and journal information that I hope will educate, empower and entertain my current and future clients.

I have to say that Burke made the entire process of buying a home seem like a walk in the park (he didn't mention that I have one of those practically in my backyard!). I am very excited about my new home and if you're looking on the BeltLine or beyond for Eco-friendly options I highly recommend Burke.

~ Amber

We found Burke Sisco through his website, Ecohomeguy.com when we were searching for a real estate agent with an eco-conscience. True to the name, Burke proved to be extremely committed to and knowledgeable about green technologies and practices as he patiently helped guide us towards finding and obtaining our "greenovation" project. We still check his site regularly to see what is new and green in Atlanta.

~ Caroline

Burke, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I would never again look for a home to greenovate or otherwise without you. I have leaned on you in more ways than a normal relator would take (this is my fifth home). I needed someone who could look at a home and see it's green potential from offer to a ten day close. I needed someone who could give me advice and contacts in making my dream happen. You did all this and more. You became a trusted friend. Thank you again.

Love,

Robin C. Poole

If you need a green real estate agent that you trust to sell your house for you Burke Sisco is the one for you. Not only does he promote green new construction, he is willing to find you a used house and promotes greenovations. He has the knowledge and the skill sets to bring you the best resources to get the job done correctly.

~ Matt Hoots

Links

EcoHome Guy has put together a list of useful energy and environmental links

Jesus is undisputably the greatest change agent the world has ever known. He changed the world without the Internet, TV, talk radio, government, politics, or technology. The baby we focus on this time of year grew into a man who inspired folks from all walks of life to do a 180and start following him.

Harmonizing my frequent discussions on walk scores and urban walkability with the reason for the season, I offer my ode to the most excellent pedestrian to ever walk the earth [sung to the tune of "Walking in Your Footsteps" by The Police]:

Walkin’ in His Footsteps

About 2000 years agoYou walked upon this planet soNow you are Lord of all I seeWhat is it You see in me?That you’d ask me to come alongJust like Peter, James and John

[Chorus]And come walkin’ in your footstepsWalkin’ in your footsteps

Hey there, Mrs. PrejudicedWhy don’t you make a brand new listOf different people who could beGrowing in your family treeAnd treat all colors like you wouldIf they all lived in your ‘hood

And come walkin’ in His footstepsWalkin’ in His footsteps

Hey there, Mr. AmbitiousYou want the rest to eat your dustYou know that in that Old Rat RaceRodents always take first place

why not come….[Chorus]

Hey there, Ms. Material GirlWhy don’t you let go of the WorldThose things can’t bring you happinessGive it all to Him then you’ll be blessed

[Chorus]

Hey there, Mr. Self-RighteousHumility would be a plusIf we could pull the mask awayWould you go or would you stay?And join us on that narrow roadWhere Jesus lifts your heavy load

[Chorus]

Now we’re here and now it’s timeTo search our heart and search our mindAnd ask ourselves what He would doIf He was standing in our shoes

Over time I've learned that the location-efficiency of a residence usually trumps the energy-efficiency in terms of savings to the home owner. Consider the following scenario [courtesy of Invisible Energy by David Goldstein]: A buyer purchases a home at the approximate median US home price of $175,000. If the buyer puts down 20% and finances $140,000 over 30 years, here's roughly what they'd pay over the life of the mortgage:

$350,000 in loan payments (PITI)

$300,000 commuting from suburbia

$75,000 for utilities

$300K for commuting costs?! That's almost as much as the buyer pays for the home and significantly more than the cost of utilities. Transportation costs are the typical household's second largest expenditure.

The most location-efficient properties are in amenity-rich neighborhoods served by transit and a grid of walkable and bikeable streets and trails. The idea is to have as many options and alternatives as possible to the car.

I live in such a neighborhood. I write this post from within the burgeoning Old Fourth Ward. My location has a Walkscore of 88, or "very walkable." Two blocks to the east is the BeltLine. Two blocks to the west is the coming Atlanta Streetcar. I can catch a MARTA bus one block away or walk/bike to a MARTA train station 1/2 mile away. I can also combine bicycle and transit since MARTA has bike racks on their buses and allows bikes on the trains.

Because of our location-efficiency my family and I made the decision to explore a car-free lifestyle. We sold the car on Dec. 13th of 2011. One year later we can declare the experiment a success, having saved hundreds of dollars along the way that would have gone towards car-ownership .

There's a property currently for sale in the Old Fourth Ward that could reduce your daily commute to seconds. Tribute Lofts on John Wesley Dobbs has one of the only live/work units currently for sale in the city. The two level loft has storefront on the first floor perfect for a boutique or professional office. Neighboring businesses include a law office, hair salon, my awesome chiropractor, and a coffee shop that gives 10% discounts to cyclists. The 2nd level offers a full kitchen, living area, large bedroom & bath with walk-in shower -- all in high-end finishes and modern accouterments. There's no need for a separate residence. Just walk down the stairs to work every morning.

Locationally, the condo scores a "very walkable" walkscore of 80 and is immediately adjacent to the Freedom Parkway Trail which connects with the BeltLine Eastside Trail. MARTA bus 99 stops right in front of the property and Zipcar vehicles are parked a little over 1/2 mile away. Tribute Lofts is a stone's throw from downtown Atlanta, as evidenced by the killer skyline views, and has very quick access to 75/85.

So the owner of this condo could enjoy an upscale intown lifestyle without car ownership, potentially saving hundreds or even thousands per year.

Fox 5 pits runner, bicyclist, and auto commuter against one another to see who can make it from Irwin Street to Piedmont Park the fastest. Runner and cyclist take the BeltLine Eastside Trail from point A to B while auto contestant takes the quickest route on Atlanta streets via GPS.

Nowhere in Atlanta is the rebounding condo and townhome market more evident than along the soon-to-open Eastside BeltLine Trail. There you'll find -- gasp! -- new construction. This was inconceivable just a few months ago given the glut of condos and townhomes for sale. Location (x3) overcomes sluggish market forces on this amenity-rich linear park.

First place for supreme placement of new home construction goes to Highland Park, a new development of 66 townhomes by John Wieland Homes at the juncture of Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward. The development sits across the trail from Inman Park Village and will feature direct access to the trail. This location also links to the Freedom Parkway trail system.

Highland Park site plan

These homes will be built facing the BeltLine, a practice sure to be adopted by existing buildings and commercial space along the bicycle superhighway and future transit line. These structures presented their less attractive side to the corridor when it was a freight line. Now they will have secondary storefronts and fascades to welcome trail and transit users.

Owners of traditionally-styled Highland Park homes will have easy access by foot or bicycle to some of the best parks, shopping, and dining that Atlanta has to offer like the Historic Old Fourth Ward Park and Ponce City Market, now under construction.

Stay tuned as we cover other exciting new construction along the Eastside trail. All of this adds up to a compelling example of the BeltLine as an upgrade of our city to Atlanta 2.0.

BeltLine looking north from Highland Ave. with Highland Park site on the left.

BeltLine looking south from Freedom Parkway with Highland Park site on right and Freedom Parkway connector trail on left

My wife and I bicycled the BeltLine Eastside Trail this afternoon. The 14 foot wide concrete path stretches from Irwin Street on the south end to 10th Street and Monroe Drive (southeast corner of Piedmont Park) on the north end. Bicycling on the BeltLine is a breeze!

This changes everything for cycle commuters in the Piedmont Park, Virginia Highland, Poncey-Highland, Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward areas.

A lot of people respond to the opening of a new Atlanta bicycle trail with a shrug. "So what? Atlanta has miles of them." Let me tell you: the BeltLine is a game-changer for intown trails. The secret sauce of this trail is that it reuses an old railroad right-of-way. The original rail line was surveyed and engineered for ease of transport and slight grades (usually 2% or less). If you've ever rode a Rail Trail like the Silver Comet, you know what I'm talking about. The difference between riding this exquisite path of least resistance and the hilly, pot-holed, dangerous streets of Atlanta can't be overstated. You glide over or under street intersections and never in the traffic. Granny and the kids can ride safely and with ease!

Bicycling is well-documented as the most efficient form of transportation known to man -- 5 times more efficient than using the train and 15 to 20 times more efficient than driving a car. If you look at the planned 33 mile loop of trail as a kind of inner perimeter highway for bikes, then the Eastside Trail could be the first segment of a spoke-and-hub bicycle superhighway. It's easy to envision surrounding municipalities wanting to connect their own rail trails to this superb transportation alternative. My advice is find any unused railroad rights-of-way or similar corridors that feed into the BeltLine and get 'er done. Plans are already underway for the Georgia 400 Trail, a 5 mile spoke trail that will link Buckhead to the BeltLine. And the case has already been made for developing the Full Loop of trail as a first priority.

With the transportation referendum defeated and gas climbing above $4 a gallon, time is of essence. Terminus redux, post haste!

Here are some of the gems and charms along this section of Atlanta's emerging emerald necklace:

Piedmont Park

Park Tavern

Trader Joe's

Midtown Cinema

Whole Foods

Home Depot

Starbucks

Kroger

CVS Pharmacy

Paris on Ponce

Ponce City Market (with a planned spur trail directly into the building)

Dancing Goats Coffee Bar

Historic Old Fourth Ward Park

Skateboard Park

Inman Park Village

Parrish Restaurant

Rathbun's Restaurant

Stoveworks

Studioplex

Irwin Street Market

Of course, embedded along this amenity-rich corridor are new and existing townhomes, condos and live/work lofts for sale with direct access to the BeltLine. Let me know if you'd like to take a look...

This Fall I will partner with Bicycle Tours of Atlanta to offer tours by bike to properties for sale along the BeltLine Eastside Trail.

My market focus goes beyond the energy-efficient, eco-friendly features inherent in a particular dwelling to include the community it is embedded in. My concentration is on properties that score high in location-efficiency [often more important than the building's energy efficiency]. These homes are generally found Intown Atlanta within some of the city's more bicycle-friendly neighborhoods and village settings, and often in proximity to MARTA, bike paths, and the coming BeltLine and Atlanta Streetcar. I like to call these properties "wheel estate." The BeltLine will eventually feature a 33+ mile loop of trail, allowing owners of wheel estate to enjoy a healthy lifestyle of connected communities with a reduced reliance on their cars. The first 2+ miles of the BeltLine Eastside Trail, extending from Irwin Street to Piedmont Park, officially opens Oct. 15, 2012.

Are you a buyer looking to burn more calories and less carbon? Are you looking to live a car-lite lifestyle on the BeltLine? Stay tuned for more information on my upcoming BeltLine Wheel Estate tours.